Your experiences deploying Windows (VM) to Mac users in enterprise environments?

[donmontalvo]

We're being asked to deploy Windows to Mac users. So we wanted to
throw this out there for some feedback.

We've deployed Windows in different ways in the past. Both as "hybrid"
instances accessible through BootCamp and VM (user chooses) as well as
strictly as VM (using either VMWare or Parallels). No matter what
method we used, we always had the same requirements:

1. Vendor must support deployment to enterprise environments.
2. Vendor must support joining the deployed Windows VM instance to domain.
3. Vendor must allow our converting to the other vendor (VMWare conversion to Parallels; and vice versa) so we don't get locked in.

We see that JAMF has KB articles on deploying VM using both VMWare and
Parallels:

Packaging and deploying VMWare Fusion (Last modified: 6-29-2009)
http://www.jamfsoftware.com/kb/article.php?id=084

Packaging and deploying Parallels 3 (Last modified: 12-16-2008)
http://www.jamfsoftware.com/kb/article.php?id=073

Now that we're starting to push Casper as our default solution, we
wanted to get an idea of how well it works in deploying Windows VM to
enterprise environments. We're hoping to get enough feedback to make a
solid choice. So....

1. Which do you prefer (VMWare or Parallels)? Not a
   features/performance question. Trying to focus on which is easier to
   deploy, manage and support.

2. How's the support? Trying to gauge enterprise support by both vendors.

3. How are you managing deployed VM instances that are joined to the domain?

4. Overall opinion of either (or both) VMWare and Parallels...again,
   casting away feature/performance to focus on
   deployment/management/support.

Thanks in advance for any feedback! :)

Don

[jarednichols]

We use MDT straight into a VM. It's the same exact process our physical
Windows machines use.
-- Jared F. Nichols
Desktop Engineer, Client Services
Information Services Department
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street
Lexington, Massachusetts 02420
781.981.5436

[#3]

1. We went with VMware without taking the time to compare with Parallels. Nothing against Parallels, that's just the way it played out.
   Deployment of Fusion has been trouble free with two annoying issues.
   a) They do not offer a volume license so its supposed to be one serial per seat. (bypassing this with software reports and the app is not "network aware")
   b) upon the first few runs it asks if you want to install McAfee anitvirus and regardless of your answer it keeps it as an option under the VirtualMachine menu
   Upgrading existing installs from 3.1 to 3.1.1 was also smooth, trouble-free and done remotely
   RAM Hungry! VMware units are going out with 8GB and >3gb being dedicated to VM

   1. So far, we have not needed support. So, can't comment.

   2. Once the VM is bound to AD, the unit is treated as a Windows computer and managed via LanDesk and AD Group Policy.
      Inside of the VM state, the Win image is only able to accept pull policy, not push.
      When unit is booted to BootCamp, its 100% manageable via LanDesk

   3. Best advice I can give is to setup a separate partition and go the route of using BootCamp. Your VM app can then launch up your image and run it from that partition.
      - We built a base Win7 image on a Mac and configured it to be a clone of the base image that is pushed out via LanDesk.
      - This image was then SysPrepped and the whole partition cloned out with WinClone
      - Winclone image is then uploaded to JSS and using a custom config can be applied to a live build or a new build.
      - Unit is then booted in to Windows partition and allowed to unpack
      - after unpacking, Mac OS disc is used to install all Drivers, unit is bound to AD and the LanDesk agent installed
      - combo of LanDesk and AD Group Policy then installs all needed apps, certificates and misc settings
      - when done, unit is rebooted to Mac and Win image is launched with Fusion

Having Windows on a separate partition allows us to independently wipe out either one as needed without total destruction of both.
Also giving developers the option to just boot to 100% Windows is a huge benefit for us. This method of prepping a new Win7 build definitely adds extra time to a setup and we did look at alternatives including one blanket image for all. In the end, we have decided

Scary Stuff:

WinClone has been discontinued for some time now and there is no sign of them coming back to life. This is the only means we have of capturing a Win partition and quickly passing over to JSS. JAMF has some built in support for deploying WinClone images, but not capturing them…

Hopefully this all works itself out in a future version of Casper.

Nick Caro Senior Desktop Support Administrator

[donmontalvo]

Jared, thanks for the incredibly helpful info! We have an imaging team who are experts on WDT (they produce images for many companies), they're looking into producing a deployable VM for us.

Nick, thanks for all the insight...incredibly helpful (especially the part about Winclone - I hope Tim is reading this!).

We've got a project started for a major client...I'll shout back to summarize once we sort things out. Paying it forward I guess. :)

Thanks
Don

[donmontalvo]

Of course I meant MDT...Microsoft Deployment Toolkit...which looks suspiciously like Casper Admin.

:):):)

Don

[jarednichols]

Of note, you can deploy a VM that has only the contents of your MDT boot
disk on it. This way you don't need to assign an ISO to initially boot
from (and then worry about re-assigning optical back to the physical
drive).

When MDT boots off of the C drive VMDK, it gets loaded into memory. Thus,
the C drive is free to be blown away with what's pulled down from MDT.
Make sense?

j
-- Jared F. Nichols
Desktop Engineer, Client Services
Information Services Department
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street
Lexington, Massachusetts 02420
781.981.5436

[donmontalvo]

Hi Jared,

Thanks, I passed all the responses to our MDT folks.

Thanks,
Don